Lonely Flower
by MidoriPanda
Summary: How scary can the phrase "Missing In Action" be? For LJ's ShuuKira Community.


_Supposed to be updated on Feb.14th... as always, a hell late XD_

_For ShuuKira's LJ community, with Live_With:Love's Prompts._

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**Lonely Flower**

**Prompt:** Apart

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Izuru wondered, why was it, even if it was spring, every year it rained on his birthday. Usually, he used to complain about the bad weather or about the enormous amount of work he had to leave for later as he was dragged to a cheap bar by Renji and Hisagi, or even about the fact his captain used to forget about it.

It was rather depressing, but surely, that year was way worse than any other. Even the year after Ichimaru's betrayal was to be compared with this. This was just… terrible.  
"Sir… there's a captain meeting, all lieutenants and captains are to assist. It seems there has been a complication on that mission some Shinigami had been sent past week." One of his men appointed, irrupting onto the empty room.

Izuru sighed, taking his captain haori and placing it on his back.

"You have any information left?"

"No, sorry. Matsumoto-fukutaichou asked me to tell you since I was passing by she's already there."

"That woman… I think I made a wrong decision moving her to this division…" Izuru said, mostly talking to himself after bowing to the Shinigami, who bowed back. Afterwards, Izuru fixed some of his paperwork over the table and left the pen over them, going out of the room after his subordinate had left.

He had wanted to move Hinamori to his division, but Hitsugaya insisted he wanted Momo on his, and that Matsumoto was better qualified to the third… but it had been rather depressing for both Kira and Rangiku, for the first one to be Ichimaru's replacement, and to the woman to be on the same division as the replacement. Izuru sighed. Why things had to be so hard on them? Either way, the fifth, as having removed both captain and lieutenant, had Ikkaku (almost against his will) and Yumichika promoted to captain and lieutenant, since Renji had refused, and Yamamoto-Soutaichou had deliberately had prohibited Kurosaki to become part of the Gotei 13 until he had gone over some hard training and died properly. Therefore, with or without the whole captains, Seireitei was still a mess.

He went out of his division's headquarters and used his Shunpo to reach the first division's barracks as quick as he could since he was never late, and because of Matsumoto, it might have been the first time he had ever done that. Either way, after catching up with Renji in the middle of the way, and avoiding to hit the ground when the red headed man pushed him off of one of the rooftops, the two men reached their destination.

"By the way, today you turn one year older, Kira!!" He screamed, right afterwards he had landed before the blonde. "I had almost forgotten, Kuchiki-taichou buried me under a lot of work, sorry! Right after the meeting, I'm escaping and dragging both you and Hisagi for some drinks! What do you say?"

" Thanks, but no, Abarai-kun, I have lots to do… by the way, I haven't seen Shuu… Hisagi-san today."

"Oh… Shuu, uh?" Renji said with a devilish smile on the lips. "He was sent on that mission, wasn't he?"

"Yeah, and he told me he'd make it back before my birthday, but… well, I think he's still somewhere around Rukongai, possibly trying to come back, I'm sure he's fine."

"Aren't you even a bit concerned? Hisagi was the one leading this mission, so, since there had been complications, it might mean something happened to him."

"Heh… but it's Hisagi-san we're talking about, Abarai-kun. There's no way he'd give up so easily."

The lieutenant and the newly appointed captain entered the meeting room, and they saw almost everyone was already there. Renji patted Izuru's shoulders and placed himself behind his captain, and Izuru walked in front of Matsumoto, who didn't even say hello, she just starred worried at the place Yamamoto-Soutaichou was sitting. Right after some minutes, Ikkaku was standing nervously besides him, as Izuru noticed, trembling slightly, since it was, as well as the blonde's his first meeting as a captain. On the other hand, Yumichika seemed really cheerful about it, so he placed a hand over his friend's shoulder to make him calm down. Ikkaku smiled as a sign of thankfulness, but the frown on his forehead did not disappear, as well as his fist did not unclench. Either way, Kira was not even worried, he had assisted to several captain reunions, but never as a captain, always as the lieutenant, but he almost knew how the protocol was going to be. He closed his eyes, trying to focus himself, until he heard Yamamoto's cough to call everyone's attention, meaning everyone was reunited on the room at last.

"You must have been communicated about the incident on Rukongai that happened today in the morning. I called a meeting, since there have been some complications during this mission, and it seems we're going to have to send reinforcements. "

"Soutaichou, what were the complications? if you don't mind to explain…" Unohana asked calmly.

"Hisagi-taichou and three of his men are missing in action." He said coldly, thing that made Izuru's heart freeze; Izuru knew he wasn't there, but the atrocity of the phrase _Missing in Action_ always made him shiver in fear. He, as well as everybody else did, glanced to where Shuuhei was supposed to be standing, but the only thing that was there was an empty space and the woman he had placed as his lieutenant just some days ago. The woman seemed quite injured, like if she had just arrived from her mission.

"As to what happened, we don't know the exact details, but fortunately, she can tell us what happened… Kyuubantai-Fukutaichou, would you mind?"

"N-no sir." The girl said, stepping front of everyone, trembling slightly. Izuru guessed it was from shyness of standing in front of every single captain, but maybe it was she had just returned from where Shuuhei got missing. "I'll gladly explain; it was one week ago, just one day after I got promoted, Hisagi-taichou summoned us all and told us that the third, fourth and fifth seat, along as the two of us would take the mission you had specifically given him about the investigation of the sudden apparition of Hollows in the farthest Rukongai districts, since it was supposed after Aizen's betrayal, the security between dimensions had been reinforced, but it seems that on some places the barrier we placed had got weaker and the hollows are able to open Garganta through those places, making them even more dangerous." The girl stopped, taking a deep breath, then she continued. "It was all going great until yesterday. A pair of Menos appeared, accompanied by some really big Gillian, and they started to attack us. We managed to kill the Menos quickly, but the Gillian gave us much more trouble. Either way, that was because Hisagi-Taichou was trying to protect the few civilians that were around from getting eaten, and then he got hit by one of the Gillian. We managed to defend him before he got greatly injured, since he said going all out on such a place would be really dangerous, especially if he had to use his Bankai. He ordered us to retreat, and we did as said, but then, I decided to go back, two of my subordinates following me to help our captain, but as we reached him to assist him, he pushed me back and ordered the only one who had doubted to return, being it the fourth seat, to take me back to the barracks and ask for reinforcement, as it seemed much more Hollows, and he predicted even some Arrancar might be coming. Therefore, here I am." The girl finished and then she bowed deeply at Yamamoto, closing his eyes desperately. "I'm begging you, please help Hisagi-Taichou. I couldn't do much, but I… I want to go back and…"

"I'll go." Izuru claimed, giving one step to the front.

"Kira-taichou… how many men are you taking?"

"I'll go by myself… in given case I don't return, please let Abarai-fukutaichou and Hinamori-fukutaichou come in my aid."

"Why are you aiming to go alone? And why them? We could send some other captain with you."

"No, sir, that's not it. It was back when we were in the Academy; something similar happened to us: a group of Hollows attacked us three and Shuu... Hisagi-taichou protected us; the enemy almost killed him… and I was the one who doubted to save Hisagi-Taichou back then. He's always doing a lot for me, I want to pay him back. Please let me go alone."

"Well… therefore, Kira-taichou, is your duty to fulfill, Hisagi-Taichou's mission, reinforce that barrier after you save him."

"Yes sir!" Kira said, bowing both at Yamamoto and at Shuuhei's lieutenant, who bowed back and smiled warmly.

"Then, you're all dismissed. Unohana-taichou, please take care of that woman, she doesn't look pretty good."

Unohana nodded and walked over where the girl was placing an arm around her shoulder and taking her away. Meanwhile, Renji and Hinamori ran to where the blonde was, talking with Matsumoto.

"You sure you don't want me to go with you?"

"No, Matsumoto-san, I'm fine. Asides from that, he promised he'll come back, it's my sole work to kick his ass for not keeping his promise" Kira said, with a large frown on his eyebrows.

"Hey, Kira… I know I might be going paranoid, but… is there something going on between you and Hisagi?" Renji asked, and both Matsumoto and Hinamori smiled, then they chuckled.

"Don't' tell me you just noticed, Renji!"

"Well, no, it had been some days since I…"

"DAYS?!" Matsumoto screamed, "It has been years since they've together!!! Just after Aizen's thing!"

"REALLY?!"

"Yeah… and that asshole always forget either my birthday, our anniversary, Christmas, or even just a date because of work. And I always have the divine right to scold him for it, this one's no exception. Asides, I'm pretty sure he hasn't died."

"He hasn't… how do you know it?! If I were you I'd be really worried!" Matsumoto screamed, as she, Renji and Momo followed him outside the meeting room.

"Well… we've been through a lot, you know? I kinda now what's going through his mind or how he's feeling while we're apart. I don't know if it's only something just the two of us developed or if it's common because I'm used to feel his reiatsu wherever he is. So I can say he's still living, injured and tired, but alive. Somewhere near Inuzuri."

"You're that good sensing reiatsu?"

"But only his. If it were any of yours I'd be panicking right now." Izuru admitted, flushing a little. "How do I do this… well, don't ask me. I don't really know."

Matsumoto smiled after bidding goodbye to him, watching the blonde head off towards his partner. She wondered, if there was something they had, that she'd lacked while Gin was around. She just wondered.

Kira jumped, from rooftop to rooftop, until he reached the main gate of the south Rukongai. The guardian opened it for him, and he started to head towards Inuzuri, as he felt, slightly, his lover's reiatsu increasing as he got closer.

_Izuru, promise me you'll remember something anytime you've lost faith I'll return to you. Remember, if we're alone, it's because we're together on that, that's why this betrayal means nothing to me anymore. If one of us is sad, the other one is there to make him happy. If one of us falls back, the other is there to pick him up. But most importantly, even if we're apart, remember we'll always be together, Izuru. No matter what._

"Always." Izuru muttered. A slight and small smile spread around the corners of his lips. "Just make sure not to die, you idiot."

At the memory of Hisagi's words, Izuru focused even more to find him, but for some odd reason, he reached a point where he felt the reiatsu all around him, confusing his senses. The blonde stopped over a hill, where there was a beautiful sight of Sereitei for afar, and three sad abandoned tombstones, made roughly. Izuru looked at the tombstones first, which were old and dusty, but moreover, had a few rotten flowers over the wood crosses. He smiled, removing the crosses and grabbed three flowers that were on the top of a tree and placed one on each tomb.

"Hi, beautiful." A rough and tired voice said nearby as he said a little prayer inside his mind for the unknown souls that had been resting on that place. Izuru opened his blue eyes to find a badly injured Shuuhei with his back against the trunk of a tree, with a white flower on his hand. Izuru smiled, and ran towards him. Shuuhei smiled as he felt Izuru's body collide against his on a warm embrace. The blonde ran his hands through his cold and wet hair, noticing it was probable Shuuhei had sat there while the rain was pouring… ah, he'd have to nurse him later.

"You jerk…" Kira muttered against the ragged fabric of Hisagi's clothes. "I'm glad you're alive, Shuu!"

"Happy birthday, Izuru." Shuuhei said, placing a white flower over his blonde hair. Izuru noticed the flower was identical to the ones he had just placed over the tombs. "I'm sorry for making you wait."

"Are you all right?"

"Slightly injured. Hollows killed. Barrier reassured. Sent back my men just two hours ago, but they can't use Shunpo right now, they're way too tired. I am way worse, I have no energy left."

"Then… how?"

"What?"

"How was I able to follow your reiatsu and find you, if you have no energy left?"

"Maybe what we share is not an abnormal reiatsu-sensing power, love."

"I wonder what it is… you know, the sight here would be much more beautiful if those graves weren't here."

"Well, blame Abarai and Kuchiki-chan for that."

"What?" Izuru asked, confused, as he helped Shuuhei to stand so they could head back.

"Those three resting there are Abarai's childhood friends. They all died before he and Kuchiki became Shinigami."

"He never told me…"

"Me either. One day, we went on a mission near here, and he wanted to come pay a visit. Now that I think about it, it's been long since we went to visit your parents, and my little Kanisawa, remember?"

"Neither have you gone to say hi to Tousen-taichou and his friend."

"No, I haven't. Either I'm working or I'm with you, what do you prefer?"

"Next time let's go together, Shuu."

"Anywhere you go…" Shuuhei said, almost singing.

"…let me go too." Izuru finished, on the same tone Hisagi did.

"Heh… Shuu, if one day we're to rest like this… let's rest together." Izuru muttered, as he placed a hand beneath Shuuhei's ribs and used his Shunpo once more, this time going slower since he had to carry two times his weigh.

"Yeah… not even death would tear us apart, 'Zu."


End file.
